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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

O. M. COATS & J. L. SPRAGUE. WASHING MACHINE.

No. 513,004. Patented Jan. 16, 1894.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2. O. M. COATS & J. L. SPRAGUE.

WASHING MACHINE.

(No Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES M. COATS, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, AND JAMES L. SPBAGUE, OF MIN- NEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA; SAID SPRAGUE ASSIGNOR TO SAID COATS.

WASHING- MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 513,004, dated January 16, 1894. Application filed November 4, 1893- Serial No. 490,015. (No model-) Patented in Canada August 5, I3

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES M. Cons, of Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, and JAMES L. SPRAGUE, of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and Improved Washing-Machine, (patented in the Y Dominion of Canada August 5, 1893, No. r 43,838,) of which the following is a full and together, as shown.

exact specification.

Our invention is an improvement in that class of washing machines, in which a swinging rubber is suspended and reciprocated within a suds-box; and it includes certain novel features in the construction and arran gement of certain parts, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure l is a perspective view of our machine. Fig. 2 is a central, vertical, longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a similar section illustrating the operation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the combined rubber and airchamberin theposition it occupies when raised out of the cage, or clothes receptacle, and resting against the levers. Fig. .5 is a perspective view of the skeleton, metal frame of the cage,or clothes receptacle. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of such frame.

Fig. 6 is an end viewpartly brokenillustrating the attachmentof the roller to the combined rubber and air-chamber. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view showing separately a trunnion of the cage, and a socket therefor.

The oblong suds-box, A, is constructed with Wooden sides and a galvanized-iron bottom, a, and supported by legs, a.

Inclined boards 0, a (Fig. 2,) prevent the suds splashing out when the machine is operated, and the end of the box, A, to which the wringer is attached, in practice, is strengthened by metal clamps a.

The combined rubber and air-chamber, C, is pivotally suspended in and reciprocates with a cage, or clothes-receptacle, B. The skeleton metal frame of the latter (see Fig. 5) is composed of pairs of internally grooved bars 17 b, b b, 1) b b b and four transverse tie rods, 1), which also joint the pairs of bars Wooden handles, or levers, D, D, are clamped in sockets, b", formed at one end of bars 1), I). Said sockets have 7 eyes, 19 that support a bent rod, 12 whose ends are pivoted to the sides of the rubber, C. The latter has lateral pivots, or trunnions, that rest detachably in sockets, 6 formed integrally with bars b b of cage B.

' The cage is suspended by its trunnions b in shouldered sockets 19 (see Figs. 3 and 7) formed in the inner sides of the suds-box A. The said sockets open upward and rearward, there being a rearward projection on the upper side which forms a shoulder that holds the trunnions in place, that is to say prevents them from vertical displacement.

Pivoted blocks, a are arranged to close the upper sides of thetrunnion sockets and fill the space between the side bars' I) b of the cage B, and the adjacent sides of the sudsbox, thus serving to prevent the clothes entering such spaces by which they would be liable to injurious abrasion. I

The combined rubber and air-chamber, C, is constructed as followsz-Th'e body of the same is composed of parallel wooden side bars, 0, and a series of transverse boards or fiat wooden pieces, 0 which form the slightly convex bottom of the rubber. Each of said boards or pieces c ,is provided with a series of blunted or round-pointed pinsfc which project and form a rubbing surface; and a narrowmetal plate or strip, 0 isalso attached to the four sides of each board, 0 by means of screwsor analogous devices. This strip, c ,is continuous and projects downward some two inches from the face of the board, thus surrounding the pins and forming a cup-like air-chamber of rectangular shape The trunnions, 0 attached to the sides of the rubber, C, enter the pendent grooved sockets, b of the upper connecting bars, I), of the clothes receptacle or cage, as before described.

To produce and govern the oscillation of the rubber, it is connected with the levers by means of the bent rod, c", which passes through the eyes of the lever sockets as before stated. A roller, F, is affixed to each end of the rubber, C, and, as a means of fastening them thereto, yet permitting their free rotation without preventing their endwise extension to the full width of the rubber, C, we employ staples f which are clasped around the rollers in circumferential grooves as shown, so that they are flush with the surface of the rollers.

The operation of our improved machine is as fol1ows:--A suitable quantity of hot water is poured into the suds-box. It is understood that soap or other detergent is also supplied i in due quantity. The rubber and air-chamher, 0, being raised and thrown back in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 4, the clothes to be washed are placed in the cage or receptacle, B, and the rubber C, lowered to its normal or working place, as shown in Fig.

2. The operator then vibrates the handles or reciprocating movement with the cage, but 2 an independent vertical oscillation by reason of its connection with the levers and cage 1 In other through the medium of the rod 0. words, at each movement of the cage, the rubber, 0, goes with it and at the same time turns on its pivots c and thus approaches close to th-ecorrugated bottom of the cage, which rises at one point to meet it-as shown in Fig. 3-but the end of the rubber also is raised quickly upward, so that it rubs against the clothes and presses them against the ends of the cage. Practical experience has demonstrated that the clothes tend to work upward at each end of the cage, and torestrain them within certain limits. Vt e employ the roller F, which as before described is held but adapted to rotate in bearings at each end of the rubber C. Said roller not only obviates undue sliding friction with the clothes, but lessens wear,while exerting due pressure, and reducing to a considerabledegree the manual force required to work the machine. It is obviousthat inthe entire movementof the rubber, O, the blunted pins c rub and pressthe clothes on oneside and gradually turn them over so that they are well scrubbed. Butthe most 50 importantfunction of and elfectproduced by the device, 0, remains to be stated, namely: as it rises at each end of its oscillatory movement, a cup or air-chamber c is exposed above the suds, and, as the rubber recedes, a quantity of air becomes confined in the same. The rubber being carried farther down and pressed upon the clothes with considerable force, such confined body'of air is correspondingly compressed, and, reacting by its own elastic prop; erty, it forces outward or expels from the cup or air-chamber the suds received 1nto 1t, and, the cup being in contact with the clothes, such body of suds is forced into and through the clothes. Thus the clothes are constantly and simultaneously subjected tothree operations, namely: rubbing or fr1ct1on, squeezing or pressing, and the passage of currents of mingled water and air, and thus the desiredresult, to-witzth-e cleaning of the clothes, is attained in a minimum ti-1ne,wi=th minimum labor and wear of the clothes.

What we claim is-- 1. The combination with the GSGl-llibtl-Hg cage or clothes receptacle, of an oscillating rubber and air-chamber composed "of a frame having its under side formed of boardsor wooden pieces provided with rubbing pins and metal strips which are attached to said pieces around the pins and pro; ect downward, as shown and described.

2. The combined rubber and air-chamber, for use in a washing machine, the same'consisting of a frame having its under sideformed of boards or pieces provided with projections to form rubbing surfaces, and a metal strip attached to and ipendentfrom said pieces, to form the air holder, :asshownand described.

3. In a washing machiwneiof theclass specified, the combination with an =osc1-llat1ng clothes-receptacle composed of a'jointed wframe and corrugated rubbing boards forming its bottom and ends, of the combined rubber and air-chamber pivoted in said cage, and :means for oscillating it, asshown anddescribed.

CHARLES COATS. 'JAMESL. SPRAGUE. Witnesses:

AMOS W. HART, SoLoN O. KEiuoN. 

